Circular dichroism spectra of langasite family crystals in the range of electronic transitions of structure defects

The absorption and circular dichroism spectra of langasite family crystals are studied. Wide bands in the range of 285–500 nm that are related to the structure lattice defects are found. For all the crystals, these bands are in approximately the same spectral region, have identical structures, and can be attributed to one type of defects formed by cation vacancies and excess oxygen atoms in the optically active positions.     

Complexity of self-similar hierarchically constrained ensembles

The complexity measure of the infinite set of self-similar hierarchically constrained ensembles is determined in the framework of the generalized combinatory approach. It is shown that, as the hierarchical coupling increases, the complexity increases to a value that decreases with increasing the dispersion of this coupling and with decreasing the branching degree of the hierarchical tree.     

Investigation into the dielectric relaxation of vinylidene fluoride copolymers with hexafluoropropylene

Four relaxation processes and one ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition are revealed in vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymers with different ratios of the components in the temperature range from ?100 to 150°C. The relaxation process occurring at the lowest temperature is associated with the local mobility of the chains, whereas the relaxation process at a higher temperature is due to micro-Brownian motion of segments in the amorphous phase in the glass transition range. A smeared relaxor phase transition from the polar modification of the α phase of vinylidene fluoride units to the paraelectric phase is observed in the temperature range 50–70°C. At higher temperatures, there occurs an intensive relaxation process that can be attributed to space-charge relaxation or manifestation of the normal relaxation mode.     

Application of Horner–Emmons Olefination to the Crown-Ether Derivatives

An effective synthetic approach to the preparation of a new crown-ether vinylogs involving the Horner–Emmons olefination of carbonyl precursors with the use of C₂- and C₅-phosphonates was proposed. The effects of the conjugation chain length and the nature of the terminal polar functions in the phosphonate reagent on the yield and process stereoselectivity were discussed.     

Oxidation of bridging groups by carboxylate coordinated ligands in palladium clusters

Thermolysis of tetranuclear palladium clusters Pd₄(-Q)₄ Pd₄(-Q)₄(-O₂CR)₄ (Q=CPh₂ or CO;R=Me, CMe₃, Ph, CH₂Cl or CF₃) has been found to involve innersphere oxidation of carbene or carbonyl ligands during which an oxygen atom transfer occurs from the carboxylate group to the carbene or carbonyl ligand. The thermolysis of the carbonyl clusters gives rise to the products of CO₂ insertion into the C–H bond of benzene or toluene used as solvents forming benzoic acid from benzene and a mixture of phenylacetic and toluic acids from toluene. The reaction of [Pd(OAc)₂(PPh₃)]₂ with HCO₂H includes the transfer of an O atom from formate ligand to the P atom and cleavage of the P-Ph bond accompanied by transfer of the Ph group from PPh₃ ligand to the palladium atom. The structure of the complex formed, [Pd(-O₂PPh₂)(C₆H₅)(PPh₃)]₂, has been resolved by X-ray analysis.     

Structural, textural, and electronic properties of a nanosized mesoporous ZnxTi1-xO2-) solid solution prepared by a supercritical drying route

Mesoporous nanosized TiO2 and Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution having a Zn content below 10 mol % with a particles size between 13 and 17 nm are prepared by a template-free sol-gel method followed by high-temperature supercritical drying in 2-propanol. The structural, textural, and electronic properties of the obtained nanomaterials are methodically investigated by using XRD, SEM, TEM, ED, HREM, EDX, ICP-OES, N(2) adsorption-desorption, Raman spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the proposed synthesis technique leads to the formation of a Zn(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) solid solution based on the anatase crystal structure rather than a two-phase sample. High-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction indicate that the distribution of zinc atoms over the anatase structure does not lead to a considerable deformation of the crystal structure.     

Synthesis, structure, and X-band (9.5 GHz) EPR characterization of the new series of pH-sensitive spin probes: N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-imidazoline 1-oxyls

[reaction: see text] An approach to the synthesis of new imidazoline nitroxides bearing an N',N'-disubstituted amidine group is reported. The approach is based on the alkylation of diamagnetic 4-R-amino-1,2,2,5,5-pentamethyl-3-imidazolines with bromoacetic acid ethyl ester; the products of alkylation are further oxidized to the corresponding nitroxides. The approach allows a variety of functional groups to be introduced into the nitroxide molecule structure. Alkylation with bromoacetic acid ethyl ester was found to proceed with high regioselectivity and afford the products of exo-alkylation. The regiochemical assignment is made on the basis of 13C NMR spectra and confirmed by X-ray diffraction study. All of the nitroxides synthesized here were shown to have pH-dependent EPR spectra with pKa ranging from 3.5 to 6.2. For nitroxides 13 bearing the carboxylic group remote to the nitroxide moiety, the changes in isotropic magnetic parameters of EPR spectra due to reversible deprotonation of the carboxylic group were found to be small. For these nitroxides, we demonstrate an alternative approach for pKa determination that is based on measuring the peak-to-peak line width of the EPR spectrum in the presence of the paramagnetic broadening agent potassium ferricyanide. The partition coefficients of nitroxides in octanol/H2O and octanol/phosphate buffer solution mixtures were measured to reveal a range of their lipophilicities.     

Ethylenediaminetetraacetato-monoperoxo complexes of vanadium(V)

Summary The monoperoxo complexes, M₂[VO(HEDTA)(O₂)]· 4H₂O, where M is K⁺ or NH ₄ ⁺ and H₄EDTA is ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid, were prepared and characterized by Raman and i.r. spectra in the solid state and in aqueous solution. The single crystal X-ray study revealed a pentagonal bipyramidal anion structure with a tetradentate HEDTA(3—) ligand. The decomposition of complexes in aqueous solution to blue vanadium(IV) complexes as end products proceeds via a nonperoxo complex of vanadium.